Son of a Thief, Daughter of a Lady
by My Alibi
Summary: Living in the shadow of your father is one thing, being trapped in that shadow when all you long to do is be free is another. ~*Revised version*~


Son of a Thief, Daughter of a Lady  
  
Chapter One: Of Apple Trees and Broken Bowstrings  
Disclaimer. If I owned Robin Hood, even in the slightest, I surely wouldn't be writing a fanfic and posting it on ff.net... I'd be selling the rights on e-bay for incredibly high prices and vacationing in Maui. Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?  
  
Authoress Notes. Well, here's the revised version. I'll try to get this farther than I did last time within a week or so. Easter break is in two days, and I always get a lot done then. But I'll be in NYC next week so don't expect updates then. Now that I've bored you all to hell and back with my schedule for the next two weeks, on with the show, boyos and girls.   
  
Oh yeah, I finally rented Princess of Thieves(good Saturday night movie) because everyone was telling me how similar they are... Wow, you guys were right. They were. O.o Sorry... never intended that.   
~~*~~  
  
Spring wasn't often a joyful thing at the Locksley home. Though the lands of Lord Robin and his wife, the Lady Marion, were as beautiful as any in England, it was nothing but an over glorified cage to their oldest daughter, Evelyn.   
  
Evelyn was a free spirit, much like her mother, but with the rebellious streak her father had always possessed. Her father often joked that he possessed the worst of their traits to be raised in a peaceful time.   
  
And peace did reign in England, under the rule of King Richard the Lionheart. He was a kind and just ruler, unlike the man who'd tried to take his place near twenty years earlier, the vile sheriff of Nottingham.   
  
But thoughts like that were often not even remembered by the youngest generation, like Robin's own children.  
  
In times of light, however, there must be shadows cast. The balance of light and dark cannot be too one-sided, or the other shall surely swing back into control...  
  
~~*~~  
  
"Evelyn! Oh, Lady Evelyn, do be careful!"  
  
A flash of rich, wavy brown hair, tumbling behind the laughing teen was all her nurse saw as the daughter of Robin of the Hood disappeared over a stone wall. The woman's heart sunk as she rushed forward. Peering over the wall, the nurse managed a sigh of relief when she spotted the rowdy young girl sitting in a pile of her own skirts at the bottom of it.   
  
"Lady Evelyn, please... you're going to bring me to my grave acting like that. Now, get up!" the nurse snapped, clutching at her clock where her heart beat terribly fast.   
  
"Oh, Anne, I'm sorry. I didn't wish to worry you. I only wanted a bit of fun." the girl insisted.   
  
Evelyn of Locksley was but fifteen years old, and still very much a child. Her eyes, the same color as her father's, looked up at the nursemaid with a glance that pleaded forgiveness. Anne sighed in defeat.   
  
"I never have been able to stay mad at you, milady. But please, come back up here before your father seems the ruin you've made of your dress." Anne spoke with a slight smile.   
  
The girl smiled warmly and stood. She made a token effort to wipe away the dirt from the pale yellow dress, but managed to do no better. She sombered properly and took to the stairs leading up to where her nurse waited.   
  
"Oh by the king, Evie, can you not behave for your maid?"   
  
Evelyn glanced up to meet a set of eyes identical to her own. Her own set narrowed. "Oh, be quiet, Thomas!" she insisted. Her twin brother chuckled at her reaction. Anne stood between the two, a stern look on her face that passed from one to the other.   
  
"Alright, you two. Into the house. Your father's guests will be here soon enough." Anne chided. "And by the looks, both of you could do with a good scrubbing." she added. Evelyn took up one side, Thomas the other as Anne was determined to lead them back into the house.  
  
Evelyn leaned backwards, seeing that Thomas was doing the same. The two shared a brief smile, but stood straight again before Anne could notice.   
  
Upon entrance, Evelyn found herself staring around the main hall once again. Many memories filled her, seeping from the very stone walls. The hangings and the paintings seemed to tell her of the times, and the trouble, she and her brother had spent here.   
  
"Thomas, Evelyn! You two should be ready by now!"   
  
Evelyn knew her mother's voice without looking up, but the sight of the Lady Marion descending the stone staircase was an inspiring sight to any. She was dressed in a gown of white and pale gray/blue, the overcoat trimmed in silver. Her long, deep brown curls were tamed into a style popular in the high courts, and a silver circlet lay across her forehead.   
  
"I am sorry, milady." Anne began, head bowed and hands worrying the other. "I'll see they are tended to right away."   
  
Marion sent the maid a smile. "Do not fear, Anne. I'm sure it wasn't your fault."   
  
Anne glanced at Evelyn without thinking, and then glanced back. "Come, Lady Evelyn, let's get you dressed. You as well, Lord Thomas."   
  
Marion smiled warmly at her children as Anne turned to lead them up the stairs. "Oh, and Anne. If Matilda and my youngest are still up there, tell them to come down. I'm sure that at least one of my children has been good for her nurse." the lady of the house commented. Both of the twins ducked their heads at a bit at the remark.   
  
"Of course, my lady. Come, children." Anne returned without a thought at what the remark had meant to mean.   
  
~~*~~   
  
The young woman in the mirror stared back with her eyes, but it was not the Evelyn that she wished to be. The gown itself was palest white, the sleeves loose until they reach just below her elbow where it bound tightly to her arms. Over the under gown was a gown of midnight blue, trimmed in black. The gown itself had black and silver detailing that seemed to make her look taller, and older. Slit in the front and up either side, the white gown showed from below.   
  
She scowled.   
  
"You don't like the gown, Evie?" someone commented. She saw her mother appear behind her in the mirror.   
  
"No, the gown is very pretty. It would look wonderful on someone else." Evelyn explained in a dry tone.   
  
Marion smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It looks beautiful on you." she added. Evelyn turned.   
  
"I never said it didn't." she shot back and sat down hard on her bed with a sigh. "I just wish it was on someone else."   
  
Marion sat down much gentler next to her. She took her daughter's hands. "Hear me, Evelyn of Locksley." she began. Evelyn removed the scowl from her face and looked at her mother. "You are near your sixteenth summer. It is time we thought of your marriage."   
  
Evelyn shot to her feet. "No!" she screamed. She seethed with rebellion, with anger. "I will not marry one of the nobles, and I will not marry anyone without my own consent!" she snapped. Marion took a patient breath.   
  
"I never asked you to." Marion soothed, raising her hand to touch her daughter's arm. Evelyn pulled away.   
  
"Not yet, but you will. You and Father... well, I'll not have it." she ranted. Her hands clenched into fists at her side. Marion stood.   
  
"Think on this, my dear. You'll learn that perhaps... that perhaps this idea isn't as bad as it seems." her mother said in a calm tone. She gently tilted Evelyn's eyes upward. "We won't force you to do anything... I'll not allow that." she insisted.   
  
Evelyn sighed, trying to seem less angry than she actually was. She nodded her understanding and turned back to the mirror. "Shall we join Father downstairs? I'm sure he's had enough of trying to tame Elizabeth on his own." she suggested. Her words were teasing, but her tone was too sad to make her words humorous.   
  
Marion took her daughter's hand and nodded. "Let us go, then." she sighed.   
  
~~*~~  
  
Robin of Locksley had never had much use for diplomatic meetings, or the such, but he found that increasing numbers of lords were hounding him for 'talks'. He was beginning to notice a pattern, as well. All of them wanted to know when he'd be arranging his children's marriages. Most were men seeking a noble lord for their daughters, but many wanted the hands of his own two daughters.   
  
Evelyn, his oldest child, was too free a spirit, and Robin knew it. Arranging a marriage would be one extra bar on the cage that her spirit was tied into.   
  
She was too much like him, and he knew it.   
  
He thought of this as he stroked his beard and watched his youngest child running the length of the hallway. He smiled as she slipped, laughing the whole way down.   
  
"Careful there, Elizabeth, you'll hurt yourself." he called as the young girl's nurse helped the child to stand.   
  
"I'm alright, Papa." she insisted with an innocent smile. He chuckled a bit.   
  
"What have I told you about running in the halls, Elizabeth?"   
  
Robin glanced backwards to see his wife and older daughter approaching. He fought the widening of his eyes and the gasp that wanted to escape when he saw how adult like little Evelyn seemed. Maybe she wasn't so little anymore.   
  
"I'm sorry, Mama." Elizabeth chimed, head bowed and tiny hands folded in front of her. Marion smiled.   
  
"I can hardly stay angry when you're that adorable, Eliza." the lady insisted. Elizabeth smiled and ran to her mother for a hug.   
  
"Lord Robin... they're here."   
  
Robin turned and sighed a bit. "Where's Thomas?" he whispered to his wife. Marion, arm around Elizabeth's shoulders, moved forward a bit.   
  
"I'm sure he'll be here momentarily." Marion hadn't even finished her statement before Thomas appeared in stride with them. She glanced his way and marveled at how mature he appeared. His head held high, his strides that of a man, of a lord.   
  
She couldn't help but be proud of him, of both her twins.   
  
"Lord Robin of Locksley, it's been ages since we've spoken." the very plump nobleman began, arms open wide as he approached the former prince of thieves. Marion watched Robin tense. If she hadn't loved him for years, perhaps she wouldn't have noticed.   
  
Then again, perhaps she would have. She filed away her own smile at this.   
  
~~*~~  
  
Evelyn was looking for an escape by the time the meal was winding to it's end. She'd received compliments, given enough of her own to play the part of a beautiful bauble with little of her own mind, and she was very through.   
  
She caught her brother's eye, and had to smile. He was at least as bored as she, if not more, she allotted. Her eyes twinkled and she motioned slightly with her head towards the doorway. He half grinned and nodded.   
  
She stood, the rest of the table with her, and excused herself. As the others sat again, she tried not to laugh at the victory she felt she was winning here.   
  
As she slipped from the room, she headed outdoors, where the sun was just beginning to set over the hills. In the retreating sunlight, her hair glowed like flame. Her eyes caught the light at an angle that made them glow bright, and she appeared content for a moment.   
  
Sliding gracefully across the ground, she was headed where she knew only her twin could know to look for her. The small meadow seemed a world apart from the rest of the Earth, and it was all her own.   
  
The only tree in the whole of the meadow was a tall, gnarled old apple tree. It rarely sprouted apples anymore, but it was sturdy and told of many ages past.   
  
She loved it.   
  
As she approached it, her hand traced the curves she'd known since she was too little to reach them. Small grooves made with Thomas' pocket knife were evident. Broken branches, sprouts trying to grow back. It was a tale of her own childhood, and a story of beginning and end.   
  
With long known, and easily remembered movements, she grabbed a higher branch and pulled herself up admist the pale white apple blossoms. She smiled and took in the sweet scent as she pulled herself, and the heavy gown she wore, into a branch to sit.   
  
The wind wasn't a strong one, but it caused the white blossoms to sway gently, and she began entranced by their movements. A faint smile touch her face.   
  
"It's good to see you smiling, Evie."   
  
She need not glance down to know her brother stood at the base of the tree. She looked down at him anyway. He grinned and pulled himself to a branch lower than hers. "It's not something that happens near often enough." he added once he was settled.  
  
She tried to glare, but found she couldn't. Her eyes did water a bit, though.   
  
She instead turned her eyes to the bow and arrows that peeked over his shoulders. "You brought your bow?" she questioned.   
  
"I thought perhaps you'd like to try and best me." he offered, laying back on the branch, and far too relaxed. Evelyn prodded him with her toe hard enough to make him jump to regain his balance.   
  
"Try? I don't remember having to try any other time I bested you." she pointed out. He chuckled with her.   
  
"True, oh so true." he couldn't help but allow. "But give a man some credit. You are the daughter of the legendary Robin Hood."   
  
She raised an eyebrow. "And of course you're not his son." she stated sarcastically. He looked innocent and turned to fall gracefully from the tree.   
  
"You caught me. What gave it away? The dashing good looks?" he asked, striking a masculine pose once he stood straight.   
  
She laughed and began to slowly climb down, careful not to rip her dress. "Well, definitely not those..." she trailed. He feigned hurt.   
  
"We're twins!" he insisted.   
  
"But not identical twins." she responded. He nodded.   
  
He reach around and pulled his bow from his back. "You want to go first, or do I even get a chance at this?" he asked. She smiled.   
  
"Oh do show me your skills, brother dear. I do everso enjoy a good laugh." she taunted. He glared halfheartedly and glanced around for a good target. Choosing a tree at about seventy paces, he pulled an arrow from his quiver. He took careful aim, and the arrow was let to fly.   
  
It did strike the tree, but farther from the point he'd chosen than he thought it would end up. She grinned, and he knew she'd have chosen the same spot.   
  
"Is it my turn, then?" she asked. He glanced sideways and handed the bow over. She helped herself to an arrow and took her careful aim.   
  
He hadn't intended her to jump so much when he took another arrow from it's quiver and slid a step closer to her. She was carefully aiming and ready to let the arrow fly when he flicked the arrow across her rear end. She jumped, arrow flying far off course, and the bow being pulled in two separate directions.   
  
She whirled to face him. "You idiot!" she snapped. He shied away a few steps, fighting laughter. She saw this and winged the bow at him. She stormed back towards the house, and Thomas was left to collect his bow. With a sigh he saw she's broken the string in her surprise.   
  
He'd let her cool off before he brought that up, he decided. 


End file.
